Memorable Montreal

St. Viateur Bagel, 263 rue St. Viateur ouest, phone 514/276-8044; or 1127 Ave. Mont Royal est, phone 514/528-6361. Open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Biodome, 4777 av. Pierre-de-Coubertin, next to Olympic Stadium, phone 514/868-3000;www.biodome.qc.ca. Open daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., most months of the year (check the website as the Biodome does close some Mondays in the winter months).

Admission is C$12 (US$9.60) adults, C$9 (US$7.20) seniors and students, C$6 (US$4.80) children 5-17, free for children under 5.

Jardin Botanique, 4101 rue Sherbrooke est, opposite Olympic Stadium, phone 514/872-1400; www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin.  Admission prices vary by season. From May 15 to October 31 to outside gardens, greenhouses, and Insectarium the cost is C$12 (US$9.60) adults, C$9 (US$7.20) seniors and students, C$6 (US$4.80) children 5-17, free for children under 5. From November to May 14 C$8.75 (US$7) adults, C$6.75 (US$5.40) seniors and students, C$4.50 (US$3.60) children 5-17, free for children under 5. Combination tickets for Botanical Garden, Insectarium, Olympic Tower, and Biodôme (good for 30 days) is C$29 (US$23) adults, C$22 (US$18) seniors and students, C$15 (US$12) children 5-17, free for children under 5. Like the Biodome it’s open daily (with some exceptions) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (check the website before you arrive just to be safe).

Musee des Beaux Arts, 1379-1380 rue Sherbrooke Ouest  at rue Crescent, phone 514/285-2000; www.mmfa.qc.ca.  Open Tues-Sun 11am-5pm; Wed 11am-9pm (open daily in summer). Admission is free to the permanent collection, with charges of about C$15 (US $12) on average to the special exhibitions (if you haven’t been to this museum before, simply visit the permanent collection—there are enough treasures in it to hold your interest for several hours). 

Boris Bistro, 465 rue McGill, phone 514/848-9575, www.borisbistro.com/.

To climb to a good lookout on Mont Royal you can either head north on Rue Peel, which will lead to a stairway and then a trail of switchbacks; or take the steps that lead up to the terrace of the Chalet Mont Royal.

Toque, 900 place Jean-Paul-Riopelle near rue St-Antoine, in Vieux-Montreal, phone 514/499-2084; www.restaurant-toque.com/. Reservations required.

For information on the Montreal Canadiens, go directly to their website www.canadiens.com/. You’ll find information there on how to buy tickets; games do sell out, so purchase far in advance of your visit.

For a calendar of Montreal festivals go to www.montreal.com/tourism/fests.html.

Pauline Frommer is the creator of the new Pauline Frommer guides in bookstores now.